Rabbi's Messages

You Are What you Learn

on Sunday, 21 June 2015.

“Education is what remains after we’ve forgotten what we learned in school.” – Anonymous

Pop culture says that everything we need to know, we learn in kindergarten. But Judaism would argue that we should keep learning all throughout our lives.

Pop culture says that “All you need is love.” But according to Judaism, it’s “study, worship, and acts of kindness” that hold up the world.

Pop culture says that“The way to our hearts is through our stomachs.” And on THAT, Judaism would agree.
You’ve heard me argue before that in Judaism, community and learning are one and the same. We come together to challenge our minds, to connect with our friends, and to fill our stomachs. And the result is that we deepen our relationships both with God and with each other, and our resolve to repair the world. That’s what Judaism is all about.

In the coming year, we are excited to be partnering with Leo Baeck to offer a new and innovative approach to Jewish learning called Chai Mitzvah. Once a month, we will gather for a learning group with a specially designed curriculum that focuses on real life, relevant issues. We will talk about things that matter, we will eat and get to know each other. And we will challenge ourselves to grow as Jews – each of us choosing a Jewish study topic, ritual, or practice to pursue as an independent project.

Chai Mitzvah means “Life of Mitzvah,” and it is an approach that encourages integrating what we’ve learned into real life. We will meet one Thursday morning a month at 8:30am (before work), beginning just after the High Holy Days. Do you have an hour a month to join an incredible community of learners? Give me a call at the synagogue or send me an email to become part of this initiative.
L’shalom,

Rabbi Micah Streiffer